terranationsfandomcom-20200214-history
Kingdom of Lasterus
Not to be confused with the seventeenth to eighteen century United Kingdom of Lasterus. The '''Kingdom of Lasterus '''was a short-lived successor state to the Anglean Empire, centered around Caristopolis but encompassing much of modern-day Lasterus. While it didn't outlive its first generation of creators, and existed for less than sixty years, it would serve in later years as the basis for the notion of a united Lasterus and as a focal point of Lasterian nationalism. The kingdom's origins lay in late Anglean nationalism alongside the singular ambitions of Edward Merovingin, known as "Edward the Red." Caristo in the twelfth century was a blossoming and wealthy society under the Dukes of Albery, who in 1127 had, through an agreement with Anglea in 1137 when Duke Charles IV put down the Dravidan rebellions for the Emperor, acquired the title of "King in Caristo." Meanwhile, poems and plays had begun to circulate among the freemen of Caristo and the neighboring provinces - Dravida, Arsica, Tyreana, and Olboria - that glamorized the pre-Anglean peoples and constructed heroic narratives of the original fight against Anglean domination. As the central authority of the empire continued to weaken throughout the late twelfth century, the Caristan "kings" grew restless. In 1182, as David II threatened to revoke Caristo's kingdom status, William III Albery declared formal independence from the empire as the Kingdom of Caristo. He was followed by the Dukes of Arsica and Olboria, while the Duke of Chicor and the now imperially-controlled Dravida remained loyal to Anglea. Unwilling to let his northern provinces split as Harbelon recently had, David II responded by sending a massive imperial army led by a Lasterian-born general, Edward Merovingin, known as "Edward the Red" for his striking red hair that marked his descent from a pre-Anglean Lasterian mother, despite his family's wealth and freeman status. Edward, an enormously ambitious man, agreed to put down the rebellion on the condition that after the traitorous Alberies were deposed, he would be named King in Caristo. Edward snuck north to defeat the Arsican army at Blackmoor, and easily took the Arsican capital at Berckley; from there he traveled south and narrowly defeated William III at Revan's Fork. He then began sieging Caristopolis. During this time, he allegedly received a communication that the Emperor would in fact be dissolving the Kingdom of Caristo after his victory, and he would be named viceroy rather than king; in return, he would marry William's daughter Emma, who would be named Queen-in-Caristo. Seizing on an opportunity to save his own life and his city from being ravaged, William Albery offered Edward a deal: he would surrender and bow to Edward not as a representative of Anglea but as a new, independent King of Lasterus. Feeling betrayed by the Emperor, Edward agreed to this proposition, and marched his armies instead to Ennis, which he took easily as the Dravidan army was consumed in Tyreana. The dukes of Tyreana and Olbora both surrendered to him, while Chicor did not. Edward decided to make his capital at neither Caristopolis nor Ennis, but at the fort of Oldstone, near where he had grown up in present-day Marland. For the next thirty-five years, he would rule from there, sometimes alongside Emma Albery, who frequently returned to Caristo and proved to be a competent and talented administrator. While Anglea would return to try and retake Lasterus, Edward defeated them, and won wars in the north and Chicor, expanding his kingdom to close to Lasterus's current borders. However, his military prowess did not correspond with a talent at administration or institution-building, and after his death in battle in 1220 in the north, the kingdom soon began to collapse. His heir, Norbert, was weak and sickly, and was overthrown after two years by his brother, James. Emma Albery decided to back the claim of Norbert's son Edward, and sent the large and professional Caristan army to help defeat James under command of her nephew Andrew; however, after defeating him, Andrew - whose army was now larger than the King's - took Edward hostage and insisted he renounce his claim to Caristo. Soon seizing on this opportunity, other regions of the kingdom began rebelling, and by 1227 the kingdom had been entirely dismantled.